Introduction To Philosophy

Coursera

Introduction To Philosophy

This course presents an introduction to the main branches of research in contemporary philosophy. Each module is animated by a philosopher who will guide you through some of the most important issues and issues in his field of expertise. We begin by describing what philosophy itself is - what are its characteristic goals and methods, and how is it distinguished from other disciplines? Then the rest of the course will consist of an introductory overview of different philosophical subjects.

The subjects discussed are: Epistemology, where one asks what our knowledge of the world and ourselves consists of and how we come to acquire it; The philosophy of science, which will examine the conceptual foundations of research and scientific practice; The philosophy of the mind, where we will ask questions about what means that something possesses a mind, and how minds should be understood and explained; Moral philosophy, in which we shall study the nature of our judgments and ethical reactions, wondering whether they aim at an objective moral truth, or are merely personal or cultural preferences; And Metaphysics, where one will evolve in the fundamental conceptual questions about the nature of reality.

The development of this MOOC was organized by the Eidyn Research Center of the University of Edinburgh.

To accompany this course, we propose the book 'Philosophy for Everyone' edited by Routledge, written by the philosophy team of Edinburgh with the needs of the students of this MOOC at heart. 'Philosophy for Everyone' includes the chapters of the course, plus summaries, glossaries, questions and suggestions for readings, as well as links to online resources. For more information, click "Start Here" and then navigate to the "Suggested Reads" page.